Apple TV Box To Start Offering Live Television Content?

By Mike Wheatley20 August 2012, 3:36 pm GMT

Rumours surrounding the forthcoming new Apple TV have been swirling for several months now, but while the software giant has yet to confirm or deny the existence of a new HDTV to replace its media streaming set-top box, developing stories suggest that an announcement is all but imminent.

Apple TV box to start offering live television content?

A number of reports have cropped up over the past few days indicating that Apple is now in talks with cable television networks, and plans to offer a live streaming feature with its new device. According to sources, the new Apple TV will incorporate an iPad-like user interface, most likely some kind of OS X hybrid that features DVR (digital video recorder) and social networking capabilities.

The new device may not be an Apple television per se, but it’s expected that users will be able to link the box to virtually any kind of display or projector, for instance the company’s very own Cinema Display.

Apple is said to have held talks with a number of cable TV operators, with the provision of live streaming services believed to be the topic of discussion on the table. In line with this, it’s believed that the Cupertino-based firm has already provided a rough outline of its new device’s capabilities and features, in order to entice cable operators to hook up with them.

At this point in time, it’s unclear exactly what plans Apple has up its sleeve, as the company has also been reportedly testing out a number of prototype TVs. Previously, when the late Steve Jobs was still around, one of Apple’s goals was to revolutionise the way we watch television, and to do that the company had planned to create a more expansive device for the market – something that so far we are yet to see.

There’s also the issue of whether or not cable TV companies will want to collaborate with Apple. On the plus side, such a deal could allow operators to save money on buying set-top boxes which they rent out to their customers – but this would come at a cost of potentially losing influence with their customers if Apple were to figure in the new relationship. A second problem is that the first incarnation of the Apple TV hasn’t sold particularly well, and the company would likely have difficulties in selling any new offering it can come up with, given the giant leap that many consumers would have to make from renting a box for a few dollars a month, to going out and stumping up more money upfront for one.